Nov 18, 2010

Cathrin Karras

Having lived in South East Asia for a year myself, I took special interest in historian Cathrin Karras' blog. With a focus on Vietnam, she covers anything from politics and popular culture to traditional blood soup dishes.

Follow the jump below for one of my favorite interviews so far, and to get to know yet another female blogger who has had to put up with death threats because of her views...

What's your name, how old are you, and what do you do for a living (or all day, for that matter)?

My name is Cathrin Karras, I am 23 years old and have been a student of history at the Vietnam National University in Hanoi. I received my undergraduate degree last year, and am currently participating in a two year Master's programme.

How long have you been blogging? How did you get around to blogging?

I have been blogging since April 2007. I never planned on taking up blogging, though. I used to be active in various Vietnam-themed forums. There were always heated discussions there, mostly on Vietnamese politics and history. As some admins wouldn't allow for long posts, I set up a blog platform I would link back to - and by that circumvent censorship. Ultimately the positive reactions I got, along with growing readership numbers, motivated me to keep blogging.

What's your blog called and why?

The name of my blog is made up of my first name and then the first two letters of my last. Unfortunately, I couldn't think of a more creative name back then, and now I can't change it anymore, as that's not possible on my platform.

What are you blogging about? Why?

I mainly blog about my adopted home country Vietnam. Not necessarily about my everyday life, though. I do touch upon personal issues every once in a while, too, but my core interest lies in introducing this dynamic country, including all its problems and contradictions. For example, I discuss touristy, historical or cultural issues and current politics. Also Vietnamese music.

A second stress is on trips I undertake to other countries in the region. During each semester break, I'll go travelling, sometimes with my friend Phuong, sometimes by myself. We like to leave famous tourist routes and go exploring. On my blog are travel accounts of Cambodia, Laos, Singapore, China and North Korea. Plus all visits to my godchild Sopheak who lives in Cambodia. Recently I published an extensive report on my fourth trip to China. That took me to Tibet in August.

Who's your target audience?

I target German-speaking readers who are interested in Vietnam and South East Asia.

Who designed your blog? How much was that? In case you designed your own layout: Where did you learn how to?

On the platform I blog, creating a blog design is really easy. There are plenty of templates to choose from and to adapt to your needs. I kept my layout really simple on purpose. Personally, I find a blog's content much more important than its design.

Which software and which host do you use? Can you recommend them?

My blog is hosted with www.blog.de. I am very happy with that. But of course I lack comparison.

What role play photos, MP3-files or video clips on your blog? If you use them, would you mind showing us one?

There are more than 6.000 photos on my blog. I'm making an effort to not just show famous sights, but also ordinary life. I also use YouTube videos, mostly when I am discussing the Vietnam War or in order to introduce Vietnamese music. I rarely post own MP3s.

How many readers do you have? How many would you like to have? Does their number matter to you at all?

On average I get around 400 to 500 visits a day. When I started, I would have never thought that I would get such a response on my blog about a country almost irrelevant to world politics. Naturally, I am delighted about every new reader, but I am also very happy with my current numbers.

Can you learn how to blog? Do you need to know a lot about computers? Do you have any advice for beginners?
You don't need any special knowledge. Over time, however, I learned how to improve the layout of my posts. That was a learning process for sure.

Have you made negative experiences with blogging, too? What kind?

When you decide to make parts of your life public and also voice your opinion on political issues, you will make negative experiences. I have been insulted and defamed for years now in a German-speaking forum where a couple of emigrated Vietnamese participate. They disike my point of view. A sad low point was a very explicit death threat.

Only after my step dad in Berlin hired an attorney, who managed to get a prohibition order, were some of the threads containing the worst attacks deleted. These people are a huge motivation for me to continue my blog, though.

And have you ever made money through your blog? If yes, how so?

No. And I don't intend to.

Do you use twitter, too? Why (not)? What pros and cons do you see when it comes to twitter?

I have never used Twitter before. In Vietnam, Facebook is very popular.

Which other female bloggers can you recommend? Why?

Spontaneously, my youngest blogging friend comes to mind. Annika is only 12 years old. She has been trying different things out and is very creative. I like to visit her blog every now and then: http://www.blog.de/user/annimania/

Disclaimer

This website uses Google Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Google, Inc. (“Google”). Google Analytics uses “cookies”, which are text files placed on your computer, to help the website analyze how users use the site. The information generated by the cookie about your use of the website (including your IP address) will be transmitted to and stored by Google on servers in the United States . Google will use this information for the purpose of evaluating your use of the website, compiling reports on website activity for website operators and providing other services relating to website activity and internet usage. Google may also transfer this information to third parties where required to do so by law, or where such third parties process the information on Google’s behalf. Google will not associate your IP address with any other data held by Google. You may refuse the use of cookies by selecting the appropriate settings on your browser, however please note that if you do this you may not be able to use the full functionality of this website. By using this website, you consent to the processing of data about you by Google in the manner and for the purposes set out above.